Healthy mind in healthy body? A review of sensorimotor–cognitive interdependencies in old age

Schäfer, Sabine; Huxhold, Oliver; Lindenberger, Ulman · 2006 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1007/s11556-006-0007-5

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Summary

This review examines the functional and causal interdependencies between sensorimotor and cognitive aging, addressing the question of whether declines in these domains are linked through shared biological mechanisms. The authors argue that while sensory, motor, and cognitive losses are well-documented individually, less attention has been paid to their covariation. The paper synthesizes evidence from four research lines: correlational studies, dual-task experiments, aerobic fitness interventions, and neuroscience findings, to determine if these domains are causally related and malleable by experience. Correlational cross-sectional and longitudinal data indicate that associations between sensory, sensorimotor, and cognitive functions strengthen with age. For instance, the proportion of variance in intelligence explained by sensory functioning increases from 11% in young adults to 31% in older adults. Longitudinal analyses suggest that changes in these domains are correlated, though causal priority remains ambiguous. Experimental dual-task studies reveal that older adults incur greater performance decrements than younger adults when performing sensorimotor and cognitive tasks concurrently. This is attributed to an "aging-induced permeation" of sensorimotor functioning with cognition, where basic motor skills de-automatize and require increased attentional resources. Older adults often prioritize postural control over cognitive tasks to prevent falls, demonstrating adaptive resource allocation. However, balance-impaired individuals show greater dual-task costs, suggesting that concurrent attentional demands can compromise stability. Intervention studies demonstrate that aerobic fitness training produces positive transfer effects on cognition, particularly for tasks demanding executive control, attention, and spatial processing. Meta-analyses indicate that these benefits are robust, with effects moderated by training duration, session length, and participant sex. Specific interventions, such as walking programs, improved executive control processes in older adults, whereas stretching or weight training did not yield similar cognitive gains. Neuroscience research supports these findings, showing that higher aerobic fitness attenuates age-related declines in brain tissue density in frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices. Furthermore, fitness interventions alter cortical activation patterns, making them more similar to those of younger adults, indicating neural plasticity in old age. The authors conclude that sensorimotor and cognitive aging are intricately linked and functionally interdependent. Normal aging strengthens this connection as motor skills become less automatic and more cognitively demanding, while cognitive resources simultaneously decline. This creates a scenario of increasing demands on decreasing resources. Crucially, these interdependencies are malleable; aerobic exercise can enhance both sensorimotor stability and cognitive function by improving the underlying neural substrate. The review highlights the need for further research into within-person dynamics and the specific neural mechanisms, such as angiogenesis and synaptogenesis, that mediate these cross-domain effects.

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• cognitive aging